Ergonomic grip sleeve for sport sticks

Abstract

A sleeve adapted for receiving the solid or hollow end of a sports stick. The sleeve has dorsal and ventral cantle regions each providing a curved support surface for the hand of the athlete when the athlete is gripping the sports stick. The dorsal cantle region and the ventral cantle region each have a radius of curvature in the sagittal plane wherein the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region is greater than the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A sleeve adapted for receiving a gripping end of a sports stick including a shaft having a central longitudinal axis, a contact surface at one end of the shaft and the gripping end at an opposing end of the shaft, the sleeve comprising:
 a cavity into which the gripping end of the shaft is inserted; 
 a central longitudinal axis that is coincident with the shaft central longitudinal axis; 
 a neck; 
 a neck end; 
 a grip end being distal to the contact surface, the grip end having a planar bottom surface distal to the neck; and 
 a flange being positioned between the neck and the grip end with the neck being proximate to the contact surface, wherein the flange includes a dorsal cantle region and a ventral cantle region, the dorsal and ventral cantle regions being between the neck and the grip end and on opposing sides of an imaginary coronal plane containing the central longitudinal axis and bisected by an imaginary sagittal plane that contains the sleeve central longitudinal axis and is orthogonal to the imaginary coronal plane, the dorsal and ventral cantle regions each providing a curved support surface, the dorsal cantle region and the ventral cantle region each having a radius of curvature in the sagittal plane, the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region being greater than the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region, the ventral cantle region and the contact surface being on the same side of the imaginary coronal plane, the dorsal cantle region and the contact surface being on opposite sides of the imaginary coronal plane, and the neck having a gripping surface and a length with the neck extending from the neck end to the dorsal cantle region and the ventral cantle region with the gripping surface of the neck being equidistant from the central longitudinal axis along the length of the neck. 
 
     
     
       2. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein a ratio of the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region to the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region is at least 3:1, respectively. 
     
     
       3. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein a ratio of the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region to the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region is less than 10:1. 
     
     
       4. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein the imaginary sagittal plane bisects each of the dorsal and the ventral cantle regions into symmetrical halves, respectively and the imaginary coronal plane intersects with the imaginary sagittal plane at the central longitudinal axis in a center of the planar bottom surface. 
     
     
       5. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein the ventral cantle region smoothly transitions about the central longitudinal axis to the dorsal cantle region. 
     
     
       6. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein the neck has a circumference and the grip end has a circumference that is at least 150% of the circumference of the neck. 
     
     
       7. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein the cavity has a length measured along the sleeve central longitudinal axis of 2 inches to 12 inches. 
     
     
       8. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein the length of the neck measured along the sleeve central longitudinal axis is at least 0.25 inches. 
     
     
       9. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein the length of the neck measured along the sleeve central longitudinal axis is in the range of 1 inch to 14 inches. 
     
     
       10. The sleeve of  claim 1  wherein the sleeve comprises a polymer. 
     
     
       11. A sports implement comprising
 a sports stick including a shaft having a central longitudinal axis, a contact surface at one end of the shaft and a gripping end at the opposing end of the shaft; and 
 a sleeve comprising a cavity and into which the gripping end of the shaft is inserted, the sleeve further comprising a central longitudinal axis that is coincident with the shaft central longitudinal axis, a neck, a neck end, a grip end being distal to the contact surface, the grip end having a planar bottom surface distal to the neck, and a flange being between the neck and the grip end with the neck being proximate to the contact surface, the flange comprising a dorsal cantle region and a ventral cantle region, the dorsal and ventral cantle regions being between the neck and the grip end and on opposing sides of an imaginary coronal plane containing the central longitudinal axis and bisected by an imaginary sagittal plane that contains the sleeve central longitudinal axis and is orthogonal to the imaginary coronal plane, the dorsal and ventral cantle regions each providing a curved support surface, the dorsal cantle region and the ventral cantle region each having a radius of curvature in the sagittal plane, the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region being greater than the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region, the ventral cantle region and the contact surface being on the same side of the imaginary coronal plane, the dorsal cantle region and the contact surface being on opposite sides of the imaginary coronal plane, the neck having a gripping surface and a length with the neck extending from the neck end to the dorsal cantle region and the ventral cantle region with the gripping surface of the neck being equidistant from the sleeve central longitudinal axis along the length of the neck. 
 
     
     
       12. The sports implement of  claim 11  wherein a ratio of the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region to the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region is at least 3:1 and less than 10:1, respectively. 
     
     
       13. The sports implement of  claim 12  wherein the imaginary sagittal plane bisects each of the dorsal and the ventral cantle regions into symmetrical halves, respectively and the imaginary coronal plane intersects with the imaginary sagittal plane at the central longitudinal axis in a center of the planar bottom surface. 
     
     
       14. The sports implement of  claim 13  wherein the ventral cantle region smoothly transitions about the central longitudinal axis to the dorsal cantle region. 
     
     
       15. The sports implement of  claim 11  wherein the neck has a circumference and the grip end has a circumference that is at least 150% of the circumference of the neck. 
     
     
       16. The sports implement of  claim 11  wherein the cavity has a length measured along the sleeve central longitudinal axis of 2 inches to 12 inches. 
     
     
       17. The sports implement of  claim 11  wherein the length of the neck measured along the central longitudinal axis is in the range of 1 inch to 14 inches. 
     
     
       18. The sports implement of  claim 11  wherein the sleeve comprises a polymer. 
     
     
       19. A sleeve adapted for receiving a gripping end of a sports stick including a shaft having a central longitudinal axis, a contact surface at one end of the shaft and the gripping end at an opposing end of the shaft, the sleeve comprising:
 a cavity into which the gripping end of the shaft is inserted; 
 a central longitudinal axis that is coincident with the shaft central longitudinal axis; 
 a neck; 
 a neck end; 
 a grip end being distal to the contact surface, the grip end having a planar bottom surface distal to the neck; and 
 a flange being positioned between the neck and the grip end with the neck being proximate to the contact surface, wherein the flange includes a dorsal cantle region and a ventral cantle region, the dorsal and ventral cantle regions being between the neck and the grip end and on opposing sides of an imaginary coronal plane containing the central longitudinal axis and bisected by an imaginary sagittal plane that contains the sleeve central longitudinal axis and is orthogonal to the imaginary coronal plane, the dorsal and ventral cantle regions each providing a curved support surface, the dorsal cantle region and the ventral cantle region each having a radius of curvature in the sagittal plane, the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region being greater than the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region, at least one of the ventral cantle region or the dorsal cantle region being oriented perpendicularly to the contact surface, and the neck having a gripping surface and a length with the neck extending from the neck end to the dorsal cantle region and the ventral cantle region with the gripping surface of the neck being equidistant from the central longitudinal axis along the length of the neck. 
 
     
     
       20. The sleeve of  claim 19  wherein a ratio of the radius of curvature of the ventral cantle region to the radius of curvature of the dorsal cantle region is at least 3:1, respectively.